Residential and industrial type electrical circuit breakers and switches generally comprise current carrying components contained within an insulative enclosure of molded plastic resins. To provide added strength to the enclosure, fillers such as glass fibers are added to the plastic resins. Since the additives are not visually distinguishable from the plastic material, per se, the enclosures could be fabricated without the fillers included.
The upsurge in the appearance of counterfeit circuit breakers manufactured off-shore without regard to compliance with the requisite electric codes presents a danger both to residential as well as industrial circuit breaker consumers. Such counterfeit circuit breakers are identical in appearance to nationally manufactured authentic circuit breakers that are fabricated in strict compliance with the relevant electrical codes.
It would be greatly advantageous to insure that circuit breaker plastic enclosures are consistently manufactured from plastic materials of sufficient strength and that counterfeit circuit breakers are reliably distinguishable from authentic circuit breakers.
One purpose of the invention is to provide means for insuring that breaker enclosures are fabricated from the proper materials as well as providing indication in the field as to the origin of the circuit breaker manufacture.